I saw the headline of a news article yesterday claiming that gossip in the workplace is a good thing. In our upside world, where wrong is claimed to be right, it still startled my thinking.

But gossip is so easy to fall into. We hear a good bit of "juicy" information which may put someone we dislike in a bad light, we are delighted to share it. It feels like revenge or something that for a moment takes the spotlight off our own neediness.

But what if that information was shared in confidence, not to be shared? Consider it like "unlicensed" information, where the contractor reveals private data to you for your ears only. You are not at liberty to share that with others. But you just can't resist that temptation to share it so someone else can "pray more knowledgeably" for the person. Nope, it does not pass the Biblical smell test!

If the information that is shared has been given permission to share, then the "contract" is no longer in force. But consider Proverbs 18:8 first: "Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy, do you really want that in your belly"?

So avoid the bellyache! Be on your guard against "unlicensed" information. It is better for your digestion!